Airbus reduces supply chain for spare parts

Airbus Spares Support and Services and The Mexmil Company of Santa Ana, CA (Mexmil) have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) which provides the basis for a future agreement under which Mexmil will manufacture, market and distribute specific Airbus proprietary spare parts for the thermo-acoustic insulation blanket market. Airbus Spares Support and Services is the Airbus division responsible for the supply of aircraft spare parts and related products and services.

This is the first time that an Airbus supplier will assume responsibility for the complete supply chain of a range of Airbus proprietary parts right through from manufacture to customer delivery. As well as being innovative, this new approach will significantly simplify the logistical process of supplying spare parts to operators of Airbus aircraft.

For airlines and operators and those companies involved in the Maintenance, Overhaul and Repair business (MROs), the advantages of this arrangement will be a substantial reduction in both the lead times and costs associated with the provision of spare parts.

This MoU also paves the way for a reliable and low-cost solution to meet new FAA FAR flammability requirements (FAR 25.856(a)). This new regulation stipulates that from September onwards all insulation blankets installed on new aircraft, or those replaced during aircraft maintenance, will have to adhere to new, safer specifications. Mexmil is a leading manufacturer of aircraft thermo-acoustic insulation blanket systems that will meet these new standards.

A leading aircraft manufacturer with the most modern and comprehensive product line on the market, Airbus is a global company with design and manufacturing facilities in France, Germany, the UK, and Spain as well as subsidiaries in the U.S., China and Japan. Headquartered in Toulouse, France, Airbus is an EADS joint Company with BAE Systems.